Boise City Charges Littering By Cigarette Butt - Really!
For all those times I have watched people throw cigarette butts on the ground, I never really thought I would see anyone charged with littering by cigarette butt - but now I have. In State v. DP - name changed to protect the presumed innocent - the Boise City Attorney's Office has charged DP with the misdemeanor for doing just that. When those Boise City employees do the same thing down at City Hall will Boise City Attorney Colaianni charge them too? Will Assistant Boise City Attorney Andrea Carroll rush to court to charge members of the Boise Police force with the same crime? Will Detective Ryan L. Jones of the Boise Police Department now spend his valuable taxpayer time hunting down the thousands of offenders who pay his salary?
I kind of hope so - because there are probably enough offenders out there to pay for a new "Cigarette Butt Court." Then we could have a new Judge and perhaps another Misdemeanor Probation officer to monitor the butt dropping habits of these offenders.
For our part - we are getting ready for trial!
I understand that littering is wrong. With the principle of littering being an evil act based on environmental safety , how does the city of Boise justify the carbon footprint, court costs, and man hours that accompany the prosecution of cigarette butt litterers?
I waited for my misdemeanor ticket (littering, cig butt) for fifteen minutes while the officer left his engine running the entire time.
I can only hope that Boise City Hall runs all digital to at least reduce the amount of paper and ink used in each case.
Court time is expensive as well which ultimately leads me to believe that this "crime" is perhaps better left alone as there apparently is no benefit to prosecution other than moving money around the system, which any low level economist can tell you, costs money.